I really enjoyed eating at Kinatei in Nara. The food was great, and the experience was really memorable.

Kinatei’s store front

The restaurant serves Japanese and Chinese style vegan dishes, and everything is homemade and organic. I got off at Kintetsu Line’s Nara Station and did a little sight seeing before coming, so the walk walk a bit far. However, the restaurant is much closer if you get off the JR Nara Station.

The owner, Yoshiko, immediately greeted us in English. She was very cheerful and told us we were one of the first visitors of 2015. There wasn’t really a menu to look at when we went for lunch, as Kinatei serves only a set menu for 1500 yen. The set includes four small dishes, unlimited soup and rice, a drink, and dessert.

The food was delicious. Our lunch set started off with a really tasty miso soup, and a bowl of rice. The miso soup was made with locally sourced vegetables, and I was delighted that I could ask for a second bowl.

The four small dishes were also great. The first was a salad, and the second was Japanese style pickles. I am a huge fan of Japanese pickles, and the owner assured us that unlike other places, there was no dashi (fish broth) used here. The third dish was a mushroom topped with a type of vegan omelette with soy meat. It was garnished with homemade sauce. My favorite was the fourth dish, a potato croquette and a piece of organic friend tofu on the side, also topped with the same homemade sauce. I wish I had taken more notes, because before brining each item out, the owner told us where the vegetables and other ingredients were sourced. It was very impressive to hear that she uses mostly local farms.

The lovely meal was finished off by coffee (or tea), fresh fruit, and a sweet bean jelly made from agar.

If you are looking for healthy but delicious Japanese style, definitely come to Kinatei when you are in Nara. There aren’t very many other options in Nara, and you will not regret eating here. The offerings change daily, so I am excited to go back and see what else is being served!

Aside from the great food, the whole experience was very memorable. As I mentioned above, the owner Yoshiko was very cheerful. While our food was being prepared, she took the time to talk to us. (She is fluent in English, Japanese, Mandarin, and can speak a little Spanish) Afterwards, she offered to drive us to Todaiji Temple. It was raining hard that day, and after a while we took her offer. She surprised us by first brining us to a nice park and giving us sliced apples to feed the deer in Nara. Then she drove us to the temple. Before leaving, she told us that if we ever come back to Nara, give her a call and she can pick us up fro the train station. Yoshiko was very kind, and her kindness made Kinatei and Nara a memorable visit.

Lastly, here is a picture that Yoshiko took of us while dining at her delicious restaurant.

I will admit that I have never had Hawaiian cuisine before, so to my delight, I discovered Olu’Olu Cafe in Setagaya after attending an awesome street erformance festival nearby (video at the bottom!). What’s even better was that it was all vegan. Yes! All vegan, and super delicious!

The moderately priced menu was fully available in English, including the lengthy specials menu. First up was our appetizer: Bruschetta with soy cheese and organic basil (660 yen).

While not Hawaiian, exactly, I was intrigued by the soy cheese. The verdict? It was delicious. It was creamy, and reminded me of a mozzarella cheese. The basil and the side of sweet tomatoes also added a nice flavor.

He enjoyed the entree, but says he wishes there was more tortilla chips. I, however, can’t say one bad thing about my entree: Mochiko Chicken Bowl (1030 yen). This is where the Hawaiian flavor comes in.

The vegan chicken was crispy and perfectly fried. It was lightly glazed with a sweet and sour sauce, and served over brown rice and a salad on the side. It was so delicious! It was perfect, and I highly recommend it.

While I guess only 1 out of 3 items we ordered were Hawaiian, it does give us a reason to go back and try out other dishes. With its extensive menu, affordable prices, and great flavor, there is no reason not to go back for repeat visits! Check this place out if you are around!

For more photos, including some pages from the English menu, visit this Flickr album.

And finally, enjoy this video of the Street Performer Festival in Setagaya Art Town! It was so much fun, and had some really amazing performers.

Kamakura was already one of my favorite places to visit in Japan. It’s such a short distance from Tokyo, about a hour by train, an offers great sites. Not only does it feature the Great Buddha Statue–a must see–but countless other beautiful temples. Kamakura’s shopping streets also have a fun atmosphere. On top of that, there are beaches! I feel in love with Kamakura even more during our last visit this month. The reason? This restaurant by the ocean: Magokoro.

Magokoro is Organic and Hemp Cafe and Bar. Though I would also classify it as a restaurant and a little storefront. While not fully vegan (perhaps its only downside), Magokoro serves a two fully vegan lunch sets as well as other vegan menu items.

If you are not comfortable speaking Japanese, no problem! They have a fully English menu. I also found that our two waitresses spoke a tiny bit of English, ensuring us that our choices were fully vegan. Awesome! Here are pictures of the English menu:

Unfortunately they were out of the Hemp Curry Plate (1180 yen), so George and I both got the Vegan Plate of the Day (1280 yen). The day we went the set was Vegan Bibimbap! It was absolutely delicious. As you can see from the pictures below, the lunch set contains 5 dishes/bowls of veggie goodness. The main dish, the Bibimbap was perfect. Topped with roasted hemp seed, mushrooms, various picked vegetables, and cut nori, the flavor was savory went perfectly with rice. I topped my dish off with spicy chili-hemp oil. Of course if you don’t like spicy food, you can skip this. The next little dish was a soft tofu topped with Magokoro’s vegan version of kimchi. A bit hard to eat with chopsticks, but very tasty! There is also a small salad topped with hemp seeds. To finish off the set was a seaweed and hemp soup and a tiny plate of two pickled vegetables. The soup had a light flavor, and the seaweed taste wasn’t overpowering.

To finish off the meal, I had to get dessert! Magokoro has a selection of vegan cakes, soy yogurt parfaits, and also hemp and soy gelato. Impressive! Since it was warm that day, I went for a chocolate hemp gelato! It did not disappoint. It wasn’t overly sweet, and the hemp seed topping added a nice texture.

All the food was very delicious and well worth the trip. We went right at noon, and we had to wait outside for about 20 minutes. It wasn’t too bad. We got there right at the right time, because while we were seated, the line grew 4x longer. Because they were so busy, the service was a bit slow. However, the wait was made more bearable by the gorgeous view.

Magokoro sits right in front of the ocean. It has a fantastic view of the beach. It was fun watching people in the water, and it just really added to the atmosphere. I also want to mention that by the entrance they sell various products made of hemp, such as clothes and bags. Very cool!

I highly recommend coming here while you are in Kamakura. Just be sure to mention that you are vegan, and the server will help guide you through the menu. You will not be disappointed!

Hello everyone! Elton here! This is my first post on TOFUsenshi.com, but I’m excited because I’m writing about one of my favorite things: vegan donuts! Actually, I love all vegan desserts like cake and cheesecake, but donuts hold a special place in my heart.

I am so happy that I am able to find vegan donuts here in Tokyo. I first heard about Doughnut Plant through Twitter and Instagram about two months before coming to Tokyo. When I moved toTokyo, I stayed in a hotel in Shinjuku, so on the 1st day, I made it a mission to find Doughnut Plant, which was not far from my hotel at all.

Storefront of Doughnut Plant, Shinjuku in LUMINE EST

First a little about the company. Doughnut Plant is originally from New York City. I’ve been to New York City dozens of times,being originally from Philadelphia, but I admit that I’ve never heard of them before. Unlike other conventional donut shops, Doughnut Plant does not use egg in any of their baked goods. They do use cow’s milk, however, making them not suitable for vegans. Here in Tokyo, not only do they not use eggs either, but select donuts are made with soymilk instead of cow’s milk. That makes them vegan friendly! Though not everything they made is vegan-friendly, so be sure to check their website in advance, or be careful in reading the labels. Luckily, the donuts made with soymilk are clearly marked in English and Japanese. I do suggest going to the shop earlier in the day, as they might run out of the soymilk donuts!

Soymilk-made donuts are clearly marked in English and Japanese

I’ve gone to Donut Plant three times now, and both times there has been two types of soymilk-made donuts to choose from! The great thing about Donut Plant in Tokyo is that their menu changes with the season. Let me now talk about the delicious flavors I’ve been able to try:

SALTY CARAMEL
This was my 1st taste of Doughnut Plant! It was really good! It wasn’t overly sweet, or overly salty. I had a great balance that worked really well. I didn’t have it with coffee, but it was have been a perfect companion to a nice hot cup of coffee. Available from June 5 to July 16, 2014 only. I was glad to be able to get one, because when I first went, the second soymilk-made donut choice wasn’t available.

Salty Caramel Donut, with walnuts

COCONUT CITRUS
This was also supposed to available at the same time Salty Caramel came out, but they didn’t have it when I 1st went. So, I definitely had to go back! I personally am not super crazy about shredded coconut, but this was just the right amount! The citrus flavor was light, and it complimented the sugary coconut sheds very well!

Coconut Citrus donut, with shredded candied coconut

WILD BLUEBERRY
My third time back their website said they had Wild Blueberry and Pistachio soy-milk made donuts available from July 17 to August 31, 2014, but when I came only the Blueberry one was left. I can’t complain though, because this, too was very good. It wasn’t too sweet, but I wish it did have more pieces of blueberries on it. The one that I got had two or three small pieces on it, so it would have been even tastier with more.

Wild Blueberry Donut, with blueberries and a berry glaze

All in all, the prices are pretty reasonable. Cheaper than your average doughnut shop, but at the same price point as specialty donut shops. At around 300 to 320 Japanese Yen, they end up about $3.00 USD. They take credit card, too, so that’s good. Also, I just discovered that if you go to their website, you can sign up to receive monthly coupons though email! It’s about 30 yen off, so that knocks the price down a little.

Reasonably priced, around 300 to 320 yen

Getting there was challenging on the 1st time. For those new to Tokyo or the Shinjuku area, it can be a bit scary to navigate. The mistake I made was going to the 1st Lumine mall I saw, not knowing that there is in fact three different buildings that the mall Lumine occupies. When you are looking for this particular donut shop, make sure you are going into LUMINE EST and not Lumine 1 or Lumine 2. I will also say that the shop is more of a large stall on the ground floor, and not a shop that you can walk into and sit. It’s by the JR exits, but around Shinjuku Station, pretty much everything is! The address is below in both Japanese and English:

I will definitely be back to try the Pistachio flavor before the end of August, and I’ll be back more to check out their other offerings! Have any of you been able to try other yummy limited edition soymilk flavors? Let me know in the comments! Happy eating!